I Became the Burden of a Conscienceless Party

15 – Hero Esmeralda (4)

Hero Esmeralda (4)

In the end, according to Jim’s strategy, the hero, Esmeralda, went on a trip alone with Jim. It is a burden to hear bad rumors from inside and outside.

No one would be happy to see Jim’s journey home like that.

In fact, it was a matter that even the hero would have rejected with a single knife if he had some kind of background or a group he belonged to.

However, the image of her as a warrior that she has built over the years has made it impossible for her to do that.

She is a well-intentioned person.

That’s why she can’t refuse a tearful request from her colleague.

Of course, because of this, Jim’s evaluation would be that he crawled on the floor and then fell more vertically.

If Jim succeeds in escaping as planned, that is meaningless in the end.

‘Wow, that sucks.’

Esmeralda smiled and looked behind her at the luggage that was following her carrying one of her small backpacks.

She could see that she was still sweating with this weight despite having been rolling for a long time as a porter.

Since I was originally a wizard, there’s nothing strange about it, but…….

[Indefatigable Stamina Lv. 2]

Still, my stamina was too low.

‘Does that trait have a meaning?’

Jim tends to get tired first in the party of warriors. Of course, compared to Milia, the mage, and Irina, the priest, her physical strength would be slightly better.

However, since he basically carries a load, he consumes more stamina than the other two.

Still, as a porter, I somehow managed to develop two characteristics.

However, the level of the characteristics is low.

[Overall estimate: Lv. 274]

To some extent, there is no change in the level of the overall estimate.

It would be fair to say that Jim’s physical and mental growth was minimal.

Of course, the overall estimate is not high just because the level of the attribute is high.

That’s the level of prowess you can show in battle. In fact, even if there were a string of features, there was no way that the overall estimate would be high.

Of course, the higher the attribute level, the higher the probability of being strong.

However, Jim’s overall estimate was somehow bizarrely high.

Speaking of Jim’s battle-related attributes, all of them are common magic and black magic. Even so, compared to Milia, it is nothing more than hemostasis.

But that’s why it was strange.

Compared to when I first met Jim, Milia’s common magic level was higher than Jim’s from the beginning.

Black magic was similar.

Even so, Millia was weaker than Jim. There are other magics, but Milia’s overall estimate was around 200.

‘I’ll have to check that out sometime.’

Probably because of just one characteristic.

Blue Blood Lv. One

A trait you’ve never seen or heard of.

That’s why I didn’t know.

I have figured out how much Jim has, but I still can’t confirm the ability of that characteristic.

A mysterious trait that gave Jim an incredibly comprehensive estimate despite being level 1.

Of course, I learned a while ago that Jim’s dark magic has a different feel from other demons…….

‘There wasn’t a big difference enough to feel like a threat.’

Power commensurate with the level of black magic. So Esmeralda had no choice but to keep an eye on Jim’s unique characteristic.

So I threw Jim as bait.

Sending blind arrows or pushing when a dragon uses its breath.

Most of Jim’s reasons for wanting to retire were provided by Esmeralda.

Of course he didn’t mean to kill him, but he did it on a tightrope.

‘Isn’t that bastard not aware of his own characteristics?’

Esmeralda looked at her luggage following her with one glance. Her wobbly legs seemed to be reaching their limit sooner or later.

“Then shall we rest here today?”

“…… It is, it is, it is.”

During Esmeralda’s forced march, Jim was already so tired that he couldn’t form a proper sentence.

That was Esmeralda’s intention.

If you’re this tired, you wouldn’t think of sneaking away at night.

She always pushed him hard this way when he and Jim were alone together.

“Then take a rest. I will prepare the tent and dinner.”

“I, I, I… ….”

“hahahaha, he said he was resting.”

Esmeralda smiled bitterly and forced her luggage to sit on a nearby rock.

Jim, who was forced to sit down like that, couldn’t get up again. Because she reached the limit as Esmeralda had planned.

Jim is a demon spy. They have been selling information ever since.

However, his acting as a porter is always sincere. He was the most useless, and the policy that he did the most miscellaneous things hadn’t changed until now, even thinking about escaping.

Because of his sincerity, he may have gone undetected until now.

Yes, that may be why Esmeralda did not kill him.

‘Ah, come to think of it… ….’

As Esmeralda was cleaning her surroundings, she glanced at Jim again, as if something came to her mind.

‘I’ve never had Jim ever try to kill us.’

Even when Jim is stronger than you.

Even when it’s not.

There were plenty of good times to aim for gaps, such as when eating or sleeping.

Even though Esmeralda was, she was confident she could cope, even though she would have been different from Jim’s point of view.

“Really.”

Esmeralda muttered in her cold voice as she watched Jim’s actions.

“You are a coward.”

***

A modest camp for two people.

After Esmeralda set up a tent and cooked her dinner by warming her preserved food properly, she stood watch.

Originally, there are two people, so they should take turns standing, but Esmeralda doesn’t fully believe in Jim.

Moreover, Jim had already reached his limit physically, so he was half-fainted.

Esmeralda was alone with her back against her tree, looking up at her moon.

This alone time for her is the most valuable thing for her. The time she can be herself.

“Haa… ….”

Her country girl Esmeralda died the moment she grabbed her holy sword.

She must continue to live as a warrior. She puts on a dumbfounded look and wields a sword for anyone.

Esmeralda looked up at the moon for a while and sighed appropriately, then quietly lowered her head.

“It was faster than expected.”

In front of Esmeralda’s eyes, an old man was approaching.

The situation is getting closer to where Jim’s fake hometown is.

She expected that it would be around that time if the demons came in anyway, so Esmeralda drew her sword without panic.

“It looks like you came alone. Well, she must mean that she is confident, right?”

“I heard that the hero is stupid, but seeing it in person, it doesn’t seem like that at all.”

Two people are confronting each other over a campfire.

Jim was sleeping in his tent despite the circumstances.

Esmeralda tried to ignore her tingling sensations and glared at her opponent.

A situation where the opponent is holding his back with his back straight as if he would not care what he does.

One of her powers, the emerald tablet, showed rough information about the opponent.

If I had to deduce the most important of them…….

[Name: Eleven]

[Race: Asmodian] [Title: Corps Commander.]

[List of talents]

Unique Swordsmanship Lv. 82

.

.

.

[Overall estimate: Lv. 812]

[Note: I am interested in you. Run away.]

Esmeralda belatedly confirmed her rank insignia on her opponent’s collar.

3 Stars. Personnel equivalent to a lieutenant general, an undeniable general-level executive.

This is the worst crisis ever.

“Whoops, that sounds like real life sh*t.”

Just looking at her overall estimate, she is at least twice as strong as her own.

Of course, it is impossible to simply compare the numbers of comprehensive estimates, so it would not be strange if the actual gap was three or four times, let alone two times.

There was a relaxed reason.

Because being an old demon is itself a rare thing.

To be old is to have survived.

To the demons, that reason was the clearest truth of all.

“If you run away, I won’t chase you. My mission is not to subdue you. I’ll tell you when I’m this old. Because working overtime is bound to make you sick of it.”

“Wow, really?”

“But, leave that friend behind.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. I’m fine, Jim. It’s been fun so far.”

Esmeralda immediately swabbed her holy sword and stepped behind her.

“Don’t you think I would lie?”

“What can I do but believe in it? You have to believe, what,”

Of course, Esmeralda was not an idiot who blindly believed in her demons.

She just had the means to be sure.

‘I’m sorry, but I have to give up. Jim can’t end easily if you see that you have involved the corps to hold the baby. ‘

Isn’t fighting the corps commander to prevent the escape of a demonic spy a very low-key business?

To be honest, as Esmeralda, I don’t know if Jim is worth that much, but there’s nothing she can do about it, even if she’s worried now.

Esmeralda got out of sight of Eleven, the corps commander.

***

Eleven, the commander of the Demon King Army’s 11th corps, slowly entered the tent.

I saw Jim, who was still unconscious and asleep.

“… ….”

No matter how much I thought about it, Eleven couldn’t understand it.

What on earth is so special about a kid who can’t even detect his own murderous intentions?

Why did you get recommended resignation even though you only asked one question?

He decided to live loyal to the Demon King’s Army for the rest of his life. That is a belief that has not changed even if the master of the demon king changes.

But now I’m hesitant about whether that’s the right thing to do.

In the Demon King’s Army, position and power come from strength.

Is there any reason to treat a mediocre soldier with no powers specially?

Asmodians, even if they are blood relatives, the weak must be ruthlessly cut off. In fact, most of the demons were like that, and the same goes for nobles who are given proper names.

So Eleven assumed that there must be something he didn’t know about.

He said he was immature. He’d be missing something he couldn’t see.

And that was also something that was solidified to a semi-certainty through the words of Lilith, the Demon King’s aide.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Lilith confidently said that if she met her, she would know. However, even if she thrusts a knife in front of her throat like this now, the opponent doesn’t even think about waking up.

The world is asleep without knowing it.

Then whose problem is this?

The one who can’t see the luggage properly?

Or other idiots pouring manpower and resources into a weak and worthless burden, thinking that they are the devil’s illegitimate children?

No matter what happened, you just have to check it out.

“If you are truly a special being, this much can be prevented. If you can’t stop it, it’s only right that you disappear like this for the sake of the Demon King’s army.”

Eleven raised his sword and slashed it straight down at Jim’s neck.

Kang!

The sound of metal hitting metal.

Eleven looked down at Jim, then raised his head and looked at the girl who had blocked his sword.

“I gave you a chance, but are you willing to risk your life like this?”

“…… I tried to seize that opportunity whenever possible.”

[Note: I intend to kill Jim.]

“No matter what, I have no intention of letting my comrade die.”

Esmeralda, as always, jumped into an unfavorable fight.

If Jim goes back to the Demon King’s Army, it can’t be helped.

However, if Esmeralda’s choice puts Jim in danger of dying, she will risk her life to protect it.

No, even if it’s not her choice, if Jim is put under unreasonable threat, she will take up her sword.

“Because I am a warrior.”

A hero is one who saves the innocent. That’s why he had to raise his sword at this moment.

She is not on the side of humanity.

She is not on the side of the demons either.

He was on the side of the innocent.

“If I, who set out to save the world, couldn’t even protect my comrades, wouldn’t the title of warrior cry?”

The Jim now was clearly innocent.

Even if that’s not his own standard, but the Demon King’s standard.

Because she was a warrior who couldn’t stand irrationality.